The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In automated CNC equipment, a spindle includes a shaft and a number of features to hold a cutting/processing tool, including by way of example clamping jaws and bolts that are actuated by a pull rod. In this type of CNC equipment, “runout” is a condition that occurs when the cutting/processing tool is not within alignment tolerances of the shaft and longitudinal axis of the spindle. When the cutting/processing tool is not in proper alignment, features created in a workpiece, such as a bore diameter created with a cutting tool having a nominal diameter, are out of tolerance and larger than the nominal diameter of the cutting tool.
In large-scale production environments, dozens of spindles are in operation throughout multiple shifts. When spindle runout is out of tolerance, parts being machined experience larger tolerances and reduced quality. Further, when runout is unacceptable, the CNC machines experience downtime while the spindle arbor is being calibrated. These spindle runout issues, among other CNC equipment issues, are addressed by the present disclosure.